First Lady Michelle Obama and White House chef Sam Kass tell the story of the first garden on White House grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden during World War II. This new garden was planted in the Spring of 2009 with the help of local elementary school children and has yielded a constant supply fresh produce for the First Family and White House events.

Climate change, drought, population growth - they could all threaten future food supplies. But global agriculture, with its dependence on fuel and fertilisers is also highly vulnerable to an oil shortage, as Cuba found out 20 years ago. By means of organic urban agriculture Cuba reportedly has been able to provide four million tonnes of vegetables a year making the country 90% self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables.

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Jorge Castro Henriques

In: Urban Agriculture Magazine no 22 - Building Resilient Cities pp. 49-50

In recent years, urban agriculture in Lisbon has become more widespread and has received unprecedented media coverage. News articles have appeared on the expansion of agriculture within the city and its suburban areas and on the urban poor who grow vegetables in response to the current crisis. In this way, society has been contributing to the city’s resilience.

Boubaker Houman, Bouraoui Moez

In: Urban Agriculture Magazine no 22 - Building Resilient Cities p. 48

The growing scarcity of water in many regions around the world is a major challenge for the future. Irrigated agriculture is the main user of water in many countries, including in Tunisia, where the productive use of recycled urban wastewater and the use of rainwater, along with more efficient water use in agriculture, contribute to more sustainable production of food for its growing cities.

Diana Lee-Smith

In: Urban Agriculture Magazine no 22 - Building Resilient Cities pp. 43-44

Resilient cities and buildings that work with nature instead of against it have to be designed by professionals who have been trained in and are focused on sustainability. The landmark Carrot City show at Toronto’s Design Exchange brought designers, planners, architects and the general public up-todate on developments in designing for urban agriculture.

Kent Mullinix, Arthur Fallick, Deborah Henderson

In: Urban Agriculture Magazine no 22 - Building Resilient Cities pp. 41-42

The more people become sequestered in cities and insulated from ecological engagement, the greater the danger is that they will lose sight of the mounting economic, social and ecological burden that we are imposing on the earth’s resources and systems.

Tim Beatley, Andrea Larson, Gordon Walker, Erika Herz

In: Urban Agriculture Magazine no 22 - Building Resilient Cities pp. 39-40

Institutions across the City of Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County, including the Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA), the University of Virginia (UVa), public schools, hospitals and restaurants are working to source a higher proportion of their food needs locally.

Elisa Peduto, Dilyara Satdinova

In: Urban Agriculture Magazine no 22 - Building Resilient Cities pp. 34-36

The concept of resilient cities is increasingly heard today. Whereas in southern countries access to food is a major motivation for people to engage in urban agriculture, in northern cities, such as London, people are driven more by environmental reasons such as the damaging effects of excessive food miles. Regardless of the motivation, urban agriculture is a positive step toward greater resilience.

Mikey Tomkins

In: Urban Agriculture Magazine no 22 - Building Resilient Cities pp. 37-38

The concept of resilient cities is increasingly heard today. Whereas in southern countries access to food is a major motivation for people to engage in urban agriculture, in northern cities, such as London, people are driven more by environmental reasons such as the damaging effects of excessive food miles. Regardless of the motivation, urban agriculture is a positive step toward greater resilience.